Thursday, March 27, 2025

SPAGYRIC HERBALISM

Anti-free radical, antibacterial and whitening effects of sea buckthorn extract




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Fig. Effect of VivoSight OCT observation on blood vessel density of subjects. 

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Fig. Effect of VivoSight OCT observation on blood vessel density of subjects.The marked test areas for subjects A-D were the left facial skin, left nasal skin, the back of the left hand, and the left elbow skin. The number of biological replicates is 4, the number of experimental replicates is 3.

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Credit: Beijing University of Chemical Technology




Skin issues arising from improper diet, routines or allergies are increasingly prevalent. Conditions such as melanin deposition, wrinkles from aging, skin inflammation causing rashes and acne pustules due to Propionibacterium acnes infections are commonly observed.

Free radicals, known for accelerating aging, increase skin wrinkles and aging. Tyrosinase, a crucial enzyme in melanin synthesis, catalyzes the production of melanin, with its oxidation product dopaquinone serving as a substrate for brown and true melanin synthesis. Hence, inhibiting tyrosinase activity offers a strategy to mitigate melanin production and promote skin whitening.

Meanwhile, the promising anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and whitening properties of sea buckthorn polysaccharides and flavonoids have not been systematically validated for skincare applications

“We wanted to systematically verify the skincare functionalities of sea buckthorn flavonoids,” says Yan Zhou, senior and corresponding author of a new study published in the Journal of Dermatologic Science and Cosmetic Technology. “Specifically, the inhibitory effect of sea buckthorn flavonoids on Propionibacterium acnes were assessed by plate antibacterial assays, the antioxidant properties evaluated using an ABTS free radical scavenging assays, and the whitening effect was determined by measuring tyrosinase inhibition with an enzyme labeling instrument.”

Given the insolubility of sea buckthorn flavonoids in water, the researchers designed a nano-milk formulation to enhance their dispersion. Additionally, a gel leave-on mask formulation incorporating glycerol glucoside and hydrolyzed collagen was developed to extend skin contact time and enhance moisturizing and reparative effects.

“We found that seabuckthorn flavonoids indeed exhibited excellent antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and whitening effects,” shares Zhou. “Participants showed significant improvements in skin parameters, including reduced roughness, increased moisture content, and enhanced pigmentation balance, confirming the practical efficacy of the product.”

This study not only fills the gap in the systematic verification of the multifaceted skincare benefits of seabuckthorn flavonoids and polysaccharides, but also developing a product that efficiently integrates these two active ingredients.

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Contact the author: Ao She, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China. Sheao2002@qq.com

The publisher KeAi was established by Elsevier and China Science Publishing & Media Ltd to unfold quality research globally. In 2013, our focus shifted to open access publishing. We now proudly publish more than 200 world-class, open access, English language journals, spanning all scientific disciplines. Many of these are titles we publish in partnership with prestigious societies and academic institutions, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC).

 

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